The Challenger: SEOs Real MVP

Years ago, while leading SEO at a large traditional marketing company, I unexpectedly won an internal award called “The Challenger Award.”

I was probably two cocktails deep at the company party, mostly looking for an excuse to go home, when I heard my name called.

The award recognized people who challenged the status quo, pushed others to do better, advocated for their team, and raised expectations.

At the time, I didn’t think much of the label. Today, I think it’s one of the most important roles in marketing.

Checkbox SEO is dead, and that includes simply doing the work sitting directly in front of you.

The biggest opportunities now require someone to advocate, influence priorities, support implementation, QA the work, and prove the impact.

That’s the Challenger.

Meet the Challenger

The Challenger asks the uncomfortable questions.

Why isn’t this prioritized? Who actually owns implementation? What would have to be true for engineering to prioritize it? Why are we launching this redesign without solving XYZ? Why are we spending $500K on paid acquisition while ignoring an organic opportunity worth $2M? You get it…

But this is the important part: the Challenger doesn’t just complain.

They bring evidence. They quantify the opportunity. They understand competing priorities. They build allies. They offer solutions. They help with implementation, QA the work, and measure the result.

Their job isn’t to win arguments or become the loudest SEO in the room.

Their job is to make organic growth difficult to ignore.

Your job extends beyond your area of control

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: modern SEO extends far beyond what you directly control.

Organic visibility now touches product, engineering, PR, brand, content, UX, and leadership. You cannot hide behind, “I made my recommendations. What happens next isn’t my responsibility.”

That’s bullshit. It always has been, but it’s especially true now.

You may not control engineering priorities, PR campaigns, product decisions, CMS limitations, or budget. But you should absolutely influence them. That’s also why I’ve argued that it’s time to invite SEO to the adults table.

That means advocating for the work, explaining trade-offs, translating SEO/AI into business impact, and establishing expectations before decisions are made.

And when something finally gets implemented, you don’t disappear. You support it, QA it, and help make sure what you fought for actually works and delivers value.

Challenging doesn’t mean being an asshole

A Challenger will create some friction. That’s part of the role.

But asking hard questions doesn’t mean being an asshole.

You still have to listen, understand competing priorities, and recognize that SEO is only one input into how a company operates. Sometimes engineering should prioritize something else. Sometimes brand wins. Sometimes UX wins. Sometimes the SEO opportunity simply isn’t worth the resources. Cough, cough... Core Web Vitals.

That’s why I’ve said before that compromise is a lost SEO skillset.

If we choose X, here’s what we’re giving up.

That’s far more valuable than demanding SEO always win. We’re not arguing with feelings. We’re having productive, difficult conversations based on data, opportunity, and business impact.

The Challenger owns the outcome, not the recommendation

The real difference is ownership.

A recommendation is easy to hand off. The Challenger stays attached to the initiative and makes sure the work is actually seen through and creates value.

That matters because influence compounds.

If the last thing you fought for drove meaningful results, the next difficult conversation gets easier. People remember that your push wasn’t about winning an SEO argument. It was about creating business impact.

That’s how SEO earns influence.

The result? More trust, more resources, and ultimately bigger visibility across both search and answer engines.

Checkbox SEOs complete tasks. Challengers create outcomes. Pick your lane.

~Nick